Bird Species to see in Volcanoes

If you are planning a bird watching safari and contemplating the bird species to see in Volcanoes National Park, this article will guide you on some of the bird species to encounter on your birding safari in the park. It’s one of the most considered national parks by tourists due to its rich biodiversity and accessibility. The park is situated in the northwestern region of Rwanda, and it’s around 2 3-hour drive from Kigali to the park. It’s the smallest national park in the country, covering an area of about 160 square kilometres.

The park’s diverse natural systems, including wetlands, montane forests, bamboo zones, swamps and grasslands, provide habitats to various wildlife species. It hosts over 30% of the world’s total mountain gorillas, 12 primate species, 200 butterfly species, and 37 mammal species. Volcanoes National Park is the only park in East Africa with high altitude bird species, and it’s home to over 237 bird species, including migratory birds, water birds, Albertine Rift endemics, forest birds and the park’s residents. Making it one of the best parks for bird watching safaris in East Africa.

Bird Species to see in Volcanoes National Park

• Regal Sunbird
• Northern Double-collared Sunbird
• Red-chested Sunbird
• Variable Sunbird
• Copper Sunbird
• Yellow Bishop
• Fan-tailed Widowbird
• Archer’s Ground Robin
• Collared Sunbird
• Blue-headed Sunbird
• Olive Sunbird
• Dusky Turtle Dove
• Mourning Collared Dove
• Red-eyed Dove
• Ring-necked Dove
• Laughing Dove
• African Green Pigeon
• Tambourine Dove
• Scarce Swift
• African Palm Swift
• Alpine Swift
• White-rumped Swift
• Little Swift
• African Swift
• Blue-headed Coucal
• Levaillant’s Cuckoo
• Klaas’s Cuckoo
• African Emerald Cuckoo
• Diederick Cuckoo
• Scarlet-chested Sunbird
• Bronzy Sunbird
• Malachite Sunbird
• Olive-bellied Sunbird
• Scarlet-tufted Sunbird
• Red-faced Woodland Warbler
• Collared Apalis
• Stranger Weaver
• Dusky Crimsonwing
• Rwenzori Double- collared Sunbird
• Hottentot Teal
• African Black Duck
• Yellow-billed Duck
• Handsome Francolin
• Little Grebe
• Speckled Pigeon
• African Olive Pigeon
• Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
• Red-chested Cuckoo
• Black Crake
• Red-knobbed Coot
• Grey Crowned Crane
• Ruwenzori Turaco
• Black-billed Turaco
• Ross’s Turaco
• Marabou,
• Yellow-billed Stork
• European White Stork
• Pink-backed Pelican
• Hamerkop
• Cattle Egret
• Grey Heron
• Black-headed Heron
• Goliath Heron
• Purple Heron
• Little Egret
• African Sacred Ibis
• Hadada Ibis
• Great Cormorant
• Rufous-breasted Sparrowhaw
• Black Sparrowhawk
• Black Kite
• Little Bee-eater
• African Pygmy Kingfisher
• Pied Kingfisher
• Common Kestrel
• African Hobby
• Eurasian Hobby
• Peregrine Falcon
• Brown-necked Parrot
• Ruwenzori Batis
• Chinspot Batis
• Chinspot Batis
• Brown-throated Wattle-eye
• Black-throated Wattle-eye
• Lagden’s Bush-shrike
• Common Barn Owl
• African Long-eared Owl
• Speckled Mousebird
• Crowned Hornbill
• Cardinal Woodpecker
• Olive Woodpecker
• Western Green Tinkerbird
• Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
• Spot-flanked Barbet
• Double-toothed Barbet
• European Bee-eater
• Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
• Lizard Buzzard
• Little Sparrowhawk
• Ovambo Sparrowhawk
• Mackinnon’s Shrike
• Grey-backed Fiscal
• Northern Fiscal
• Three-banded Plove
• African Snipe
• Gray-hooded Gull
• White-winged Tern
• Black-winged Kite
• European Honey Buzzard
• African Harrier Hawk
• Palm-nut Vulture
• Brown Snake Eagle
• White-headed Vulture
• Hooded Vulture
• Crowned Eagle
• Martial Eagle
• Long-crested Eagle
• Tawny Eagle
• African Hawk Eagle
• Lizard Buzzard
• African Marsh Harrier
• African Paradise-flycatcher
• White-necked Raven
• Pied Crow
• Green-headed Sunbird
• Spectacled Weaver
• Black-necked Weaver
• Strange Weaver
• Slender-billed Weaver
• Baglafecht Weaver
• Red-rumped Swallow
• Angolan Swallow
• Rock Martin
• White-headed Saw-win
• Lesser Striped Swallow
• Sand Martin
• Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
• Eastern Mountain Greenbul
• Common Chiffchaff
• Red-faced Woodland Warbler
• Brown Woodland Warbler
• Eurasian Blackcap
• African Yellow White-eye
• Mountain Thrush Babbler
• Arrow-marked Babbler
• Abyssinian Thrush
• White-browed Robin Chat
• White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
• Ethiopian Thrush
• Amethyst Starling
• White-browed Scrub Robin
• African Dusky Flycatcher
• Red-capped Robin Chat
• Familiar Chat
• Village Weaver
• Black-headed Weaver
• Brown-capped Weaver
• Dark-backed Weaver
• African Firefinch
• Red-billed Firefinch
• Fawn-breasted Waxbill,
• Common Waxbill
• Red-headed Bluebill
• Red-faced Crimson-wing
• Shelley’s Crimson-wing
• Zebra Waxbill
• Bronze Mannikin
• Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
• House Sparrow
• Cape Wagtail, Mountain Wagtail
• Oriole Finch
• Black-throated Canary
• Papyrus Canary
• Yellow-crowned Canary
• Yellow-fronted Canary
• Streaky Canary
• Golden-breasted Bunting
• Holub’s Weaver
• White-bellied Crested-flycatcher
• Blue-and-white Crested-flycatcher
• Stripe-breasted Tit
• White-browed Crombec
• Mountain Apalis
• Chestnut-throated Apalis
• Black-faced Rufous Warbler
• Tawny-flanked Prinia
• Grey-capped Warbler
• Grey-backed Camaroptera
• Black-throated Apalis
• Grauer’s Swamp Warbler
• Evergreen-forest Warbler
• Bracken Warbler
• Dark-capped Yellow Warbler
• Bracken Warbler
• Dark-capped Yellow Warbler
• Mountain Yellow Warbler
• Wire-tailed Swallow
• Northern Puffback
• Brown-crowned Tchagra
• Albertine Sooty Boubou
• Mountain Sooty Boubou
• Doherty’s Bush-shrike
• Lühder’s Bush-shrike
• Fork-tailed Drongo
• Augur Buzzard
• Eurasian Buzzard
• Mountain Buzzard